Heidrick & Struggles, a provider of executive search and leadership consulting services worldwide, has reported a surge in executive search activity in Dallas-based companies and divisions.

This year, Heidrick & Struggles has doubled the number of search consultants at its Dallas office, and year-to-date search volume is up more than 60 percent.

According to a recent survey by Forbes, Dallas-Fort Worth ranks number five in the nation in metropolitan job growth and is projected to continue adding jobs at a 2.8 percent annual rate through 2019.

"Dallas is a very attractive market, both for companies and for executives. We're helping clients with leadership strategies and in building out their talent pipeline," said Greg Konstans, Partner in Charge of the Heidrick & Struggles' Dallas office and member of the firm's global Financial Services Practice.

He added: "Today, there is a renewed focus on recruiting and developing effective leaders. As a firm, Heidrick & Struggles recognizes that the leadership issues our clients in Dallas face are universal – we share the knowledge we have from the work we do around the world."

Kevin Anderson, Principal and Co-founder of the Internet of Things specialty practice within Heidrick & Struggles, said: "There has been a convergence of hardware and software services in Dallas. The lines are blurred; there is a cross fertilization of talent from one sector to another. This merging of technology areas makes our region uniquely positioned to be a big player in the new Internet of Things megatrend."

Dallas has more than three times as many tech jobs than Austin, according to research in the latest Hi-Tech report by Jones Lang LaSalle, the real estate firm. Dallas has approximately 150,800 tech jobs compared with Austin's 60,400 tech jobs.